2005 was a landmark year in the fight against poverty. In January 2005 the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) was launched at the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre to lay down the gauntlet for world leaders to achieve a breakthrough on world poverty. In less than 12 months, GCAP has grown into the world's largest ever anti-poverty movement, whose organizations together represent more than 150 billion people globally, with campaign actions in
more than 80 countries. The white band became the only common and unifying symbol of GCAP.
From 13 to 15 March 2006, 170 delegates of the GCAP from all over the world met in Beirut. Frithjof Finkbeiner participated for the Global Marshall Plan Initiative in the meeting. The Global Marshall Plan Initiative decided, following the principle "united in direction - diverse in contribution", to actively engage in the future international white band activities, especially in connection with the G8 meetings in Germany in 2007. A focal point of the Initiative's contribution could be to to mobilize society for white band and above all to make the population aware of structurally caused poverty.
GCAP Website
17 October 2006 - Global White Band Day
Beirut Declaration
Press release: G8 Leaders side-step poverty, pressure on German Presidency to deliver
